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Bedford man accused of stealing truck

A Bedford man is in jail for stealing a rental truck parked at a bar in Everett in late December.

Mauricio Gonzalez, 26, of 2262 Diehl Road, faces charges of theft by unlawful taking of movable property and unauthorized use of a motor vehicle for allegedly driving off with the victim’s vehicle that was parked at the D. Hitchin Post Bar and Restaurant in Manns Choice on Dec. 28.

State police said the victim reported he drove the silver Nissan truck to the bar to buy a beer and left the keys in the vehicle as he always does. He said he saw “two males with a dark complexion” in the parking lot working on a silver car before heading into the bar, according to the criminal complaint.

The victim reportedly told police he never thought someone would steal his vehicle, but when he left the bar, he saw that the truck was missing.

One of the males was passed out in the silver car he’d been working on earlier, the complaint states.

Police allegedly found the missing truck on Raystown Road with a cellphone located inside.

When police spoke with one witness, the male who had reportedly passed out in the silver car, the witness said it was Gonzalez who took the victim’s vehicle from the bar.

The phone found in the stolen vehicle was the witness’ friend’s phone that the witness borrowed, according to police.

The witness’ written statement provided to police states the witness and Gonzalez decided to drive to the bar to grab a drink before the defendant said he wanted to go to Everett to see some girls. The witness allegedly said he didn’t want to go to Everett because he took his midnight medications.

When the two left the bar, the witness had trouble starting his car, and Gonzalez became upset, leaving the witness in his vehicle, police said.

The witness reportedly fell asleep and when he woke up, the defendant was nowhere to be found and the victim’s truck was missing.

Gonzalez was arraigned Tuesday in front of Magisterial District Judge Tonya Osman.

His preliminary hearing is scheduled for 9 a.m. Wednesday in front of Osman.

He is housed at the Bedford County Jail on a cash bail of $50,000.

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